Paul Falconer Poole's The destruction of Pompeii (1835)

     This painting was one of thirty five that were depicted scenes inspired by a novel by Bulwe-Lytton called The Last Days of Pompeii. Poole was a British self-taught artists who had two styles of art: idyllic and dramatic. I'm sure you can guess what type of painting this is. In this scene depicted in Poole's dramatic painting you can see the fear and feelings of despair through the use of the dark colors representing a dark time which the destruction of Pompeii certainly was. The use of lighter colors shows the intensity of the eruptions and explosions from the volcano that brought Pompeii to its destruction. The use of shading and color brings the focus onto certain areas to bring emotions to you that the people of that time were facing as they watched their home burn. This fits into the 19th century fad because it is certainly a dramatic piece. Although  not entirely supported by actual facts due to the fact that discoveries about Pompeii were not made till much later it is still a striking and emotion evoking piece that fits in well with the fad of the 19th century.